Homemade Vanilla Wafers

Nilla Wafers are one of those snacks that I love but my husband does not so we don't have them that often. It's probably better that way since they are a little pricey and not very good for you. I found this recipe online and thought it was a good time to try them out. They are the easiest cookie I have ever made but the author's directions left something to be desired. Because I followed the directions - my first batch were these tiny buttons of cookies but that didn't prevent them from disappearing before the next batch was out of the oven. I did find that pinching off about a 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of dough, rolling it in a ball and then flattening it, made much better cookies. They actually crisped up. I got nice golden edges but the interiors were still softer than Nilla Wafers so you may want to bake them a little longer. I made sure to use real butter and my own homemade vanilla. My vanilla wasn't as strong as store-bought vanilla because it hasn't been "brewing" long enough but it still had good flavor. This cookie is a great base for flavors and I can't wait to try my homemade orange extract in it. I did use whole white wheat flour and you couldn't tell they were whole wheat. They were so tender and tasty. All 40+ cookies were gone by morning, which made me very sad because I wanted some with lunch. The guys could not get enough of these cookies. Homemade Vanilla Wafer 1 stick butter 1/2 cup sugar 1 egg 1 tablespoon vanilla 1 1/4 cup whole white wheat flour 1 tsp baking powder Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add in egg and vanilla. Mix in baking powder before adding the flour. Pinch the dough off into 1/2 - 1 teaspoon balls, roll firm and then press flat onto baking sheet. Twenty-four cookies will fit on a typical baking sheet - they do not spread so you can set the cookies about 1/2 -1 inch apart. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom. Slightly overbake for a more 'Nilla Wafer like texture or eat when still tender. *I bake all my cookies on silpats. I highly recommend purchasing a couple. They last for years and eliminate the need for greasing a pan or using parchment.

Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies

I wanted to name these cookies Sunday Morning Breakfast Cookies but my husband didn't like the name. I loved it until I had a cookie the next day. The flavor just didn't stay the way I wanted it to so that whole Sunday morning feel was kind of gone. That's not to say the cookies weren't good because they are great. They are tasty and healthy which is the best combination you could have. I made these rather plain but they would benefit from some nuts and dried fruit (maybe even a chocolate chip or two).
I developed these cookies when my Dad said he needed a dessert for an activity. I made him some mint chocolate chocolate chip cookies so I didn't want to make something with chocolate to go with them. I wanted something different. We've been experimenting with applesauce chocolate chip cookies but why not try applesauce oatmeal cookies. The end result was great. They are sweeter than I expected them to be and, even with all the cinnamon, not overly spicey. They have great texture and are already on their way to being a family favorite. I dipped the cookies in a glaze made from orange juice and powdered sugar. I found that while the glaze added so much flavor when I first dipped, after the glaze dried all the orange flavor went away. I didn't measure the sugar when I made the glaze so I have no recipe to share for that but I don't really think the cookies need the glaze to taste good.

Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies
2 1/2 cups applesauce
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 TB molasses
2 eggs
2 teas vanilla
2 teas cinnamon
1/4 teas nutmeg
1 teas baking soda
1 1/2 cup flour
5 cups oatmeal
In a large bowl, mix together applesauce and sugar. Add the molasses and beat well before adding in the eggs. Add vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking soda. Mix until all incorporated. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well. Stir in oatmeal. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes.

Double Chocolate Mint Cookies

It's been a blah week for me and I haven't been cooking. I whipped these up this morning. I have shared this recipe before but I made a few simple changes. What I got was a more natural (I would say all natural but I can't be positive with the chocolate chips). The flavoring is natural and it's really good. I purchased an all natural mint extract from Walmart but it's the Watkins brand. I can't wait to try more all natural flavorings and in the meantime need to come up with ways to use the artifical flavors that are still in my pantry.

Double Chocolate Mint Cookies
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 ¼ cup sugar
3 eggs
2 teas mint extract
1 cup cocoa
½ teas baking soda
1 ½ cup flour
2 cups chocolate chips
Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well. Add cocoa and baking soda, slowly mix until smooth. Add flour ½ cup at a time. Mix in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Super Easy Cookies

It's one of those times of the year when baking seems to take over. There's parties and gifts all for one day - this time Valentine's Day. Want a cookie that is so easy and so versatile that it will make baking a joy no matter who many the kids say they need.
I love this recipe - it uses a cake mix. You can pick any variety and play with it. Some you can frost or add candies to, making a completely new cookie.

Easy Cake Mix Rounds
1 package cake mix
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease baking sheets and set aside. In large bowl, combine cake mix, oil and eggs. Drop dough by teaspoons onto baking sheets. Bake in oven 8 to 10 minutes. Let cookies cool slightly before removing from sheets.

PS - I still haven't forgotten about the baking mix. I just haven't had time but if all goes well I'll have recipes for you tomorrow.

Old Fashioned Ginger Snaps

I had such plans for my evening that involved baking. We ate dinner and watched a movie. By the time it was over, I was falling asleep in my chair (it was barely 8 pm). There would be no baking for me. My husband so kindly made a gingerbread cake for me to take to my ladies night tonight. During the night, I was dreaming that I accidentally ate all the gingerbread - I guess I could smell it in my sleep - so I had to make cookies. Since I was unable to experiment with the baking mix, I decided to share a cookie recipe. Not just any cookie but a gingery snap that reminises of gingerbread and all those wonderful Christmas smells (which make me wonder why I didn't dream of Christmas, I remember going to sleep thinking the house smelled like it).


Old Fashioned Ginger Snaps
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup shortening
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the sugars, molasses, shortening, butter, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. In another large bowl combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and beat while adding the water. Continue to mix until ingredients are incorporated. Measure a heaping teaspoon of dough at time. Roll the dough into a sphere between the palms of your hands then press the dough onto the cookie. Flatten to about 1/8-inch thick. Bake cookies for 10-14 minutes or until edges begin to brown and cookies are crispy when cool. Makes 120 (10 dozen) cookies.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is based on the Polka Dot Cookies from Guittard. I made it with their mint chips and the result was fantastic. They are almost a cross between a brownie and a cookie. At first I was a little worried that the cookies would spread but they don't so pile on a good tablespoon of dough (I use a tablespoon cookie scoop). I list chocolate chips in the recipe - feel free to use any type of chip. These cookies were great with the mint but would be equally awesome with peanut butter or butterscotch or even just chocolate to double the chocolate punch of these cookies. They definitely need milk and are perfect for these wintery days (we're having snowmaggedon here in Washington).

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 ¼ cup sugar
3 eggs
2 teas vanilla
1 cup cocoa
½ teas baking soda
1 ½ cup flour
2 cups chocolate chips
Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well. Add cocoa and baking soda, slowly mix until smooth. Add flour ½ cup at a time. Mix in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Licorice Cookie Strips

Before you discount this cookie because it has licorice in the title, note that the licorice flavor comes from aniseed that dots the cookie. It's really a sort of butter/sugar cookie. This is a staple in our house when the holidays come. My family loves it (and they hate all things licorice). The cookie really needs a new name but this is what it came with. The dough doesn't look like much but it makes about 10 dozen cookies. They are light crispy cookies so when eating them it will not feel like dozens of cookies. My guys were hanging around just to get cookie scraps since I was making this for a cookie party. This is an easy cookie to make but the dough will be really soft. It firms up some if you let it sit (the last ones cooked will be rather easy to work with compared to the first). I use a rubber spatula sprayed with cooking spray to press these cookies down instead of a fork. They do spread so no more than 3 logs on a cookie sheet. With mine spaced about 2 inches apart they did touch when done cooking but I just used the cutter to seperate. Cut the cookies while they are still warm - I use a hard plastic cake froster to cut them. Also, I don't think I have ever added nuts to this cookie and was actually surprised to see them listed in the ingredients last night. It's up to you. If you do - chop them really fine because these cookies come out thin.

Licorice Cookie Strips
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2-½ cups flour
2 teaspoons aniseed
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup chopped nuts
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat in egg. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in nuts. Divide dough into 10 portions; shape each into a 12 inch log. Place 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten with a fork to 1/4 inch thickness. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes; cut diagonally into 1 inch slices. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Pancake Cookies

This is one of those recipes that we developed in our house from pancake mix. My mother found a multigrain pancake mix and for a few years these cookies were our standard treat. We gave them up when we went gluten free because we just didn't think about purchasing gluten free pancake mix until we reached the end of our GF diet. The other day my son asked about these cookies because he missed them. At this point in time we have homemade gluten free pancake mix that should go well with this recipe especially since we've been making so many applesauce treats. I apologize for the vagueness of this recipe but it's really easy - everything goes in the bowl and you mix it until it's all smooth (unless you add nuts or chocolate chips which you should wait until the batter is smooth before adding). This is so basic that you can experiment with all sorts of flavors. Tonight I am making these with some leftover apple pie filling that needs to be used up.

Cookies
2 cups pancake mix
1 1/2 cups applesauce
1 egg or 1/2 cup oil or 1 cup peanut butter (or to taste)
1 tbs. molasses
1 teas vanilla
Goodies
Bake @ 350 for 10-15 minutes

Krispy Scotcharoos

This is one of those recipes that my mom made when I was growing up. As an adult I looked for the recipe because she had gotten off a box of rice krispies. The recipe had changed over the years so you will notice that there is an alternative to the recipe - that is how my mother made it all those years while the recipe I have is the one rice krispies had during my search. It's been years since I found it so there is the possibility it has changed again. The only problem with this recipe is that it doesn't hold together as nicely as a rice krispie treat but they taste so good it doesn't matter.

Krispy Scotcheroos
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups rice krispies
6 oz chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
Melt sugar in corn syrup over med heat, stirring until begins to boil. Remove. Add peanut butter, mix, add krispies. Stir until well coated, press into greased pan. Melt chips together, stir well. Top cereal mixture, chill until firm.
-alternative: add butterscotch chips to cereal mixture with peanut butter, top with plain chocolate.

Chewy Toffee Almond Bars

As part of our mad baking day on Sunday, my dad was trying to clean out his pantry. We found a bag of toffee bits and a recipe for chewy toffee almond bars. I made two major changes to the recipe. We had whole almonds so I smashed them up with a rolling pin instead of using sliced almonds and when it was all done we topped it with chocolate chips. We let the chocolate melt a little and then spread it over like a frosting. I think our toffee bits were a little stale or we over cooked them because the toffee was rock hard. It was a fun contrast to the soft cookie and made a great but tasty mess. After they had sat for a day, the cookie hardened and they were a little less tricky to eat but the toffee was still really hard. However, the taste was amazing. I really like these and think it wouldn't be hard to make a version with homemade toffee.

Chewy Toffee Almond Bars
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-3/4 cups English Toffee Bits
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sliced almonds, divided
3/4 cup Sweetened Coconut Flakes, divided
Heat oven to 350°;F. Grease sides of 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Gradually add flour, beating until well blended. Press dough evenly into prepared pan. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Meanwhile, combine toffee bits and corn syrup in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until toffee is melted (about 10 to 12 minutes). Stir in 1/2 cup almonds and 1/2 cup coconut. Spread toffee mixture to within 1/4-inch of edges of crust. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup almonds and remaining 1/4 cup coconut over top. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until bubbly. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

Easy Drop Cookies

Rarely do I come across a recipe that I have to rush home and make. There are some out there that I dream about or crave but usually they are complicated beautiful recipes that I will probably never make. This one was an exception. After reading about this recipe on Mystery Lover's Kitchen Blog, I started planning it out. I knew I had the ingredients but I was sure I would only have 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. This recipe halved so easily that I think it will be our new favorite cookie.
It's so easy and takes a minute to throw together. The only disadvantage to this recipe is it requires sitting in the oven overnight. It was worth it. I wasn't sure how it was going to work but it did. This morning we had crisp chocolatey cookies sitting in our oven when last night there was chocolate chips and nuts covered with raw egg white. (I ended up skipping the salt because I forgot to add it)
Most people who bake should easily have these ingredients in their pantry. I think this will be fun to try with different chips and a variety of nuts.
Half this recipe made 8 cookies but I think I could have gotten 9 nice cookies since the dough does spread a little.

Easy Drop Cookies
2 egg whites, beaten
2/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients and drop by teaspoons on foil-covered baking sheet. Put cookies in the oven and turn the oven off. Let the cookies stay in overnight or for five hours.

Butter-Nut Blondies

I adapted this recipe from a King Arthur Flour recipe. The biggest difference is that I used AP (all purpose) flour instead of whole wheat. Whole wheat is a better grain but the instructions said the dessert had to sit for 24 hours to reduce the grittiness of the flour. I would have used whole white wheat since it lacks that grit but didn't have any. You can use whole wheat or whole white wheat in place of the AP flour. I have to say this was an amazing cookie/whatever (blondies aren't brownies but they aren't really cookies either). We served them topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and it was a perfect end to our BBQ on Sunday.

Butter-Nut Blondies
1 stick butter, melted
2 cups dark brown sugar
molasses, optional
3 eggs
1 TB apple cider vinegar
1 TB Buttershots
1 teas baking powder
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cup walnuts

Pour melted butter into bowl (or melt butter in bowl). Add brown sugar. If using light brown sugar, add molasses to taste. You want a fairly strong molasses flavor. Add eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Add vinegar, buttershots and baking powder. Stir until fairly smooth. Add flour and mix until flour is completely wet. Add walnuts.
Pour into 9x13 greased pan. Bake in preheated 350 oven for 26-28 minutes.

Fruit Pizza

I pulled this recipe out and am going to have it at my sister-in-law's baby shower this weekend. Normally we make this "pizza" in a large round cookie sheet so it resembles a pizza but we're going to make it into individual pizzas so that it's easier to handle. The pizza can get soggy if the assembled too far ahead of time but it still tastes good. I like to center a pineapple ring with a maraschino cherry in the center and then do rings of mandarin oranges, kiwi fruit and strawberries. You can add what ever fruit you like. I bet this would be fantastic with fresh cherries, blueberries and oranges. MMMM - makes me want some now.

Fruit Pizza
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup oil
1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tbs. vanilla
4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cream of tarter
2 packages cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
Sliced fruit: strawberries, kiwi, mandarin oranges, pineapple rings
Cream 1st two sugars with butter and oil, add next 5 ingredients, mix well. Divide onto 2 greased pizza pans, bake at 350 until brown, cool. Cream remaining ingredients together - except the fruit. Spread on cooled crust. Top with fruit.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

This recipe is an adaptation of yesterdays peanut butter cookie.
2 sticks nucoa
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 cups peanut butter (again I use a whole jar of 15-18oz peanut butter)
2 eggs
2 teas baking soda
1 teas vanilla
3 cups oatmeal
1-2 cups chocolate chips
Cream nucoa, sugars and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mix thoroughly. Add baking soda and vanilla. I did all this in a mixer which made the batter really light.(if using remove bowl from mixer at this point and stir rest by hand). Mix in oatmeal. Add chocolate chips. I have made this with 1 cup chocolate chips and in thinking about it - it could really use more.
Drop by tablespoonful onto baking sheet (I always use a silpat). This is a really sticky dough so you may need to use the two spoon method (scoop dough with one spoon and push it onto baking sheet with other spoon). Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. These are really good cookies and have a more oatmeal feel to them than peanut butter. I am considering making them with dried cranberries and a little cinnamon next time to see how they come out.

Peanut Butter Cookies plus variations

I found a cookbook at the library that was something like 50 cookies from the same cookie dough. It got me thinking - is there a way I could make 50 different cookies from my peanut butter cookie recipe since it's a family favorite and a super easy gluten free cookie. I have played with a few ideas and made them yesterday.
The basic recipe is what I call the 2 peanut butter cookie (this is not original to me but I have made it for so long I can't tell you who originally made the cookie).
This particular recipe I found when I had a hospice client tell me her last helper would make her peanut butter cookies but they weren't like anyone else's. I found this recipe in a cooking for kids cookbook (something like One Bite Won't Kill You). She didn't think they were the right cookies but my family really liked them. So when the time came to make cookies for a family reunion - I offered to make these. My aunt complained that I wasn't going to make the right cookies so I ended up making 2 batches - these and the traditional peanut butter cookies. The traditional cookies were left practically uneaten.

Peanut Butter Cookies
2 cups peanut butter (I use an entire 16-18 oz jar because it's just over 2 cups)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teas baking soda
1 teas vanilla
Cream peanut butter and sugar together. Add eggs and mix thoroughly. Add baking soda and vanilla. Mix until everything is smooth and creamy. Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Flatten on baking sheet - these spread so you want to keep a good inch or so all around them. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. I always bake my cookies on a silpat lined baking sheet. They will come out of the oven really soft so be careful to not over bake. Let cool on baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before removing. If they absolutely fall apart while transferring then they need to be cooked a little longer (it's fine to put them back in the oven at this point so long as you didn't let them sit too long). They should be firm but crumbly.

This weekend I tried making them into thumbprint cookies. The cookies don't really hold their shape so they were not cute thumbprints but the raspberry jam was a great compliment to the peanut butter cookie. What I did was made an impression in each cookie prior to baking and filled it with about 1/2 teas jam. A full teaspoon might be fine since the cookies spread.
Another variation and one we use often is to mix in chocolate chips. This time I made the cookies as I would normally and pressed chocolate chips into the dough after laying it out on the cookie sheet.
This is the first 2 variations I made without changing the dough. I will post soon the oatmeal peanut butter cookies I created - so good.